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1 Corinthians 16:13 – Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. (CSB)
These were our senior pastor's final words to us at our last elders meeting, encouraging us to persevere in our Christian faith and life.
Due to their retirement on June 30th and July 14th, we have just said goodbye to our two ministers: our senior pastor, Rev. Duncan Cameron, after twenty-seven years, and our associate pastor, Rev. Monica McClure, after nine years.
Our senior pastor ministered with his strong leadership skills as he guided us through our spiritual journey with his passionate sermons and bi-weekly Bible studies. He was an exceptionally inspirational spiritual leader and teacher. He taught us with wisdom according to the Word of God as explicitly written in the Bible. Sermons, biblical teachings, solid guidance, and caring for others were Scripture-based, allowing the congregation to develop a strong understanding and a belief in the Word of God.
Pastor Monica McClure's pastoral care ministry was filled with compassion, kindness, and love for all of God's people. Our two retiring pastors were our "Dream Team". We will miss them!
Saying goodbye to them was not easy. The good news is that we have faith that God will provide pastors for us again. Our congregation celebrated its 206th anniversary in June. When the cornerstone was laid in June 1849, the inscription that was engraved above the door reads, "JEHOVAH-JIREH 1849", meaning, "The Lord provides". The Lord provided, and the people have welcomed sixteen pastors since 1818.
The apostle Paul encouraged Timothy, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." (2 Timothy 2:2 NIV)
He also wrote to the Galatians, "If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned." (Galatians 1:9b NIV) Paul wanted to be sure that the congregation, whom he referred to as "my dear children", would not to be easily swayed or distracted by false doctrine. Over the years, our two retiring pastors have echoed Paul's teachings, and have inspired and prepared our congregation to live Spirit-filled lives — lives pleasing to God — and to be conscious at all times of how we live our lives.
Hearing God's Word read, hearing it trustworthily preached, and reading the Bible for ourselves helps us to grow, to develop our spiritual knowledge and faith, and to live godly lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Let us faithfully support our Bible-believing pastors, and thank God continually for providing them.
Prayer: Our heavenly Father, thank You for the precious gift of guidance and leadership from pastors. We pray that their spiritual guidance will be pleasing to You, dear God. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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Thanks for the encouragement, Yvonne.
Praise God for His faithful servants. Thank you, Yvonne.
Change does not come with the Almighty’s oversight and guidance. Blessings.
Thanks for sharing about your church, and praise the Lord for the many years that your church has witnessed the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Lord will provide special leadership in your church.
Thank you, Yvonne, for your encouraging words today. It is a difficult time to go through when a long time pastor retires but we must remain faithful that God will provide us with another good leader. Blessings for your thoughtful writings.
You have been blessed, it is becoming much harder for pastors to keep preaching the true Gospel because it isn’t necessarily “politically correct”- God and his Word does not change.
I hope and pray you will be blessed with another good minister!
Thank-you.
Good morning, Yvonne,
Thank you for your meaningful devotional this morning.
I knew Duncan quite well. As a matter of fact I lead services on a number of occasions when he was on vacation or absent for some other reason from previous congregations.
Blessings.
Good morning Yvonne,
What a beautiful devotional you wrote regarding these two pastors. It is amazing that your church has only had 16 pastors since 1818. The passages you chose are comforting and your faith in God providing new pastors is encouraging.
Thank you for sharing about your experience and the guidance that your church has received. Blessings.
Good morning, Yvonne,
Thank you for sharing this, it sounds like powerful leadership in every way. It is scary to think how many church leaders do not know or respect Galatians 1 v9b.
I was blessed to have a Bible preaching minister who was there a little over 30 years. God has blessed that church beyond and I believe because we stood on the Word, God’s promises instead of changing to worldly ways!!!!!
God bless.
Thank you Yvonne for your devotional today – Servants of the Lord.
The title caught me since we heard it yesterday in our sermon that Alison Agnew gave. She will be ordained September 8 at our church, “JEHOVAH-JIREH” !
May God bless your wonderful retired ministers and bless your congregation. God will provide.
Hallelujah!
May your congregation continue to “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong.”
God will bless and keep you as you live for Him.
The world around us in chaos, – war, political infighting, homeless, hunger, – the scripture “Be alert, stand firm in the faith” gives us courage.